


Lo-Fi

by Gallavich1012 (orphan_account)



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M, First Time, Mutual Pining, Near Death, New Relationship, Requited Love, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26507260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Gallavich1012
Summary: Derek and Holly are very much in love with each other. They’ve kept things between them on the low but when she’s almost killed and he almost gets himself blown up, well, that’s just about the best combination of a love confession.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 7





	Lo-Fi

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during S3E20 (Lo-Fi) & S4E1 (Mayhem).

“How come I only get to travel with you guys like once every two years?” Garcia questioned as she walked down the aisle of the plane. 

“Trust me, mama, it can get old,” Morgan answered chuckling as he followed her. 

“Oh, right, like the way spa treatments in 5-star hotels get old,” Garcia snorted sarcastically, taking her tech bag from Derek. 

“Remember that time we got on board and they hadn’t chilled the Cristal?” Holly teased, brushing her front against Dereks as she passed 

“Ooh, I almost quit the BAU that day,” Derek teased back looking down and smirking at the girl. 

There was enough room for her to pass comfortably but he definitely wasn’t going to complain. Despite being his boss’ daughter Derek had more than just a crush on Holly. They had been going back and forth with this flirting thing since the night he comforted her when she found out her parents would be getting a divorce. They would call each other pet names, brush up against one another, partner up any chance they got, late night phone calls when neither could sleep and even going on ‘dates’. They weren’t slick and they knew the team, especially Hotch, picked up on the blossoming relationship but as of now it was harmless and they both knew how to stay professional at work so it was no concern to anyone. 

Derek was definitely closing in on asking her out on a real date. He knew she had some type of feelings for him; he just hoped they matched his own feelings. After countless conversations with his mom, sisters and Penelope he was pretty positive there would be no issue and in moments like this when she was so close it took everything in him not to wrap her up in his arms and kiss her senseless. Now that, that would be unprofessional and probably wouldn’t bode well with her dad just a few feet away. 

“The victims?” Holly asked, pulling Morgan from his thoughts, eyeing her as she shuffled through the pictures, backing up to sit on the arm of the couch next to where he was standing. 

“Each killed in a completely different neighborhood. Hell’s Kitchen, Murphy Hill, Lower East Side, Chinatown, East Harlem,” Hotch explained, scanning the file in front of him. 

“It doesn’t make any sense. There’s no common victimology, no sexual component, no robbery, no geographical connection. Do the police have any leads?” Reid asked, as of now these all seemed like random victims of opportunity. 

“He’s killing roughly every two days. The press is having a field day and it sounds like the mood on the streets is getting pretty edgy,” Hotch sighed shaking his head, intense cases like this always took a toll on them. 

“It’s a joint FBI-NYPD task force?” Rossi asked. 

“Kate Joyner heads up the New York field office. She’s running point in the case and called me directly. JJ would you tell them we’re ready to go?” Hotch answered, looking over at JJ but completely ignoring the look his daughter sent his way. 

“Kate’s starting to butt heads with the lead detectives and wants a fresh set of eyes,” He added, glancing at Holly but looking back at Rossi. 

“Joyner, I know her. She’s a Brit, right?” Morgan asked, trying to break the tension between the two. 

“Well, dual citizenship. Her father’s British and her mother is American. She was a big deal at Scotland Yard before coming to the bureau,” Hotch answered and didn’t notice that Holly fought the urge to roll her eyes, he sure seemed to know her better than he was letting on. 

“I heard she can be a little bit of a pain in the ass,” Holly looked down to hide the slight smile from Derek’s words but that disappeared when Hotch responded. 

“I didn’t think so,” He shrugged. 

“You know her?” Holly asked, Hotch finally meeting his daughter's eye. 

“We liaised when she was still at Scotland Yard,” He nodded, leaving out the part where they had been in contact for a while now. It wasn’t anything serious nor did he think he needed to bring it up to his adult daughter. 

“And she’s good?” Rossi asked, sensing the tension between the two. It was no secret things had been tense since the divorce, Haley leaving with Jack was hard on Hotch and with Holly being grown she felt like she needed to pick a side despite her parents telling her otherwise but it was obvious any time something personal came up it was a tension war zone. 

“I think we’re lucky to have her,” Hotch answered, no one saying anything else after the pilot announced they were about to take off. 

“Hey,” Holly looked up, that smooth calming voice catching her attention as a hand reached across the small table to rest on hers, the two tucked away in the back corner of the jet away from everyone else. 

“Don’t be too hard on him,” He said squeezing her hand gently when the plane started moving. 

“I’m not, I guess it’s just weird hearing him talk about someone that isn’t mom,” Holly sighed, her free hand coming up to absentmindedly play with his finger. 

“I get it, baby doll, I do. I remember when my mom went on her first date after my dad. It didn’t work out but she was quite smitten with the guy for a while. It was years after my dad died. I was a teenager and I resented the whole situation but I also knew that my mom deserved to be happy,” Holly met his eye at that last part, she knew what he was insinuating. 

“I- of course I want him to be happy, both of them, I just wanted them to be happy together. I always thought that they would be together forever despite the fact that I knew their marriage was far from perfect and that she wasn’t happy, I don’t know,” She shrugged, shaking her head gently. 

“Baby,” Derek called gently, watching her eyes flutter up to meet his. Holly’s breath hitched at the pet name, Derek called her all kinds of things but ‘baby’ was by far the most intimate between the two of them and never failed to make her heart flutter. 

“You don’t need to feel bad about these feelings. Having divorced parents can be hard on the children no matter what age. I know it’s hard since you know your parents still love each other it was just one of those things where life got in the way,” Holly couldn’t help but give him a small smile, he always knew what to say to make her feel better. 

“Thank you, baby,” Holly saw the look in his eyes change with the tone of her voice. She was never big on pet names but God he loved when she called him ‘baby’. He didn’t say anything else just leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to her knuckles before leaning back in his seat. 

He shifted his eyes to look at her discreetly. She had turned her body to face the window but her arm was still outstretched to hold his hand with the faintest hint of a smile on her lips. If she had noticed him looking she didn’t acknowledge it but that urge in the back of Derek’s mind nudging him to kiss her was back. This case, he decided, after this case he would ask her out. Make this thing between them official and that thought made him smile. 

-

The tension was still a bit thick in the elevator after they arrived at NYPD headquarters. Holly still didn’t seem too thrilled about the woman they were about to meet and Hotch seemed a bit too eager to get to their floor. Morgan had made a habit of standing close to Holly and touching her in some way to help keep her nerves at bay and he noticed she did the same with him. He would normally reach out and run his fingers against her wrist and she would usually scratch his palm lightly, small gestures to others but it meant so much more between them. 

“Is it just me or does she look exactly like Haley?” JJ whispered to Garcia. 

Holly looked up at those words and her mouth fell open slightly when she saw the woman walking towards them. She looked up at Derek and he immediately reached over and started rubbing at her wrist again. Well, she could see why her dad was trying to hide the fact that he knew the woman more than he was letting on because Kate most definitely looked like her mom. She also did not miss the way Joyner checked him out as she walked up. 

“Aaron. How’ve you been?” Kate greeted, briefly looking over the team before settling on Hotch. None of them missed the personal use of his first name as opposed to a usual formal surname that most called him by. 

“Well, thank you. This is my team. Kate Joyner this is David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jereau, Penelope Garcia, Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan and Holly Hotchner,” Hotch introduced, Holly fighting the urge to glare and keep her face neutral when the woman’s eyes met her own. 

“Thanks for being here. Anything that you need, just let me know. Please don’t stand on protocol,” Kate nodded and for the sake of keeping her thoughts off of kicking her dad in the shin she turned more towards Derek and slipped her fingers along his palm discreetly. 

“What can you tell us about the city’s surveillance system?” Garcia asked, that was probably one of the most important things that needed to be dealt with right off the bat. 

“Um, it's run by the NYPD. It’s still in the infant stages, it’s been rather controversial. American privacy laws, but they’ve had some success,” Kate explained her eyes glancing at Derek briefly but went right back to Garcia. 

“And I’ll have full access?” Penelope asked, her usual charming smile lighting up her face. 

“They’re already expecting you. Shelley?” Garcia smiled again as the woman next to Kate gestured for her to follow. 

“I’d like to get a map of the Borough. I want to do a comprehensive geographical profile of the area in order to ascertain the unsubs mental map before it’s clouded by our own linkage blindness,” Spencer spoke as two other men walked up. 

“I see you brought your own computer,” The short older man spoke, looking at Reid before looking at Kate. 

“Detectives Brustin and Cooper. I’ll let you do the introductions,” Kate introduced the two detectives and it was obvious there was some strain between the three. 

“You caught the shooting?” Rossi asked Cooper. 

“They’ve all been in different precincts. It wasn’t until the third murder that anyone even made the connection,” He answered, his eye catching Prentiss’. Holly pulled away a little from Derek when the other detective spoke. 

“I guess this is where we play nice and ask you what you need,” Brustin gruffed out, obviously not happy with federal presence. 

“I’ll let you all figure out what that is,” Kate let out a breathy chuckle, “I just ask that you run everything back through me. It’s been my experience that having one butt on the line is enough.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Brustin scoffed. 

“Can I have a word with you in private?” Kate asked, taking a step closer to Aaron and Holly didn’t fight off her glare that time when he agreed. 

She noticed how the team was trying to subtly glance her way but she ignored them. Instead she was more focused on how Kate kept looking at her through the window as she spoke to Aaron. Holly pulled herself from her thoughts, they needed to catch this guy, it wasn’t time for family drama or any other drama. That didn’t mean she wasn’t still highly annoyed with the whole situation. 

-

“Hey,” Derek’s voice behind Holly made her jump a little where she was looking through a file. He looked around to be sure there were no prying eyes before taking a step closer to her, resting a hand on her lower back and sliding it around to rest on her waist, smiling a little when he felt her shiver. 

“Come with me, we're gonna head to the most recent crime scene,” Holly straightened up, wanting desperately to melt into his touch. She didn’t say anything just nodded, she desperately needed to get out of this office.

“So, you good?” Derek asked as they climbed into the SUV, Rossi, JJ and Brustin getting into the vehicle behind them. 

“I am. I’m just trying to focus on the case and not them. I mean it’s really not even my business right?” She asked, not even noticing when he reached across the console for her to play with his fingers. Derek knew what he was doing though, she liked to do this when she was anxious or stressed

“I don’t think it’s not your business, you are still his daughter, but I also don’t think you should be upset with him,” Derek shrugged as they pulled out of the parking lot. 

“I’m not upset specifically at him, I'm just upset at the situation in general. It- it’s only been a few months,” She mumbled looking out the window.

“I get where you're coming from, if it makes you feel any better I don’t think Joyner likes me very much,” He responded lightly, smiling when she let out a quiet amused snort. 

“That actually doesn’t make me feel better. What has to be wrong with her that she doesn’t like _the_ Derek Morgan,” Holly teased and Derek could help but laugh at that. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, squeezing her hand playfully. 

“Oh, please. Who doesn’t like you? You’re handsome, funny, suave, charming, confident, strong, a total lady’s man. You’re like the personification of the perfect guy,” Holly laughed again but stopped when she noticed Derek looking over at her when they stopped at a red light. 

“What?” She asked timidly as her free hand tucked some hair behind her ear. 

“You think I’m the perfect guy?” He asked, running his thumb along hers, it was rare to see her act so shy but he loved it. 

“Well, yeah,” She shrugged smiling at him like it was the most obvious answer. 

“Well then I think it’s only fair to tell you that I think you're the perfect girl,” Derek didn’t have a choice but to pull his eyes away from her to start driving again but she was still looking at him. 

“You really mean that?” Holly asked like she couldn’t believe he would actually think that. 

“Of course I do. You're like my dream girl,” Yep, no going back from that one. He flipped his hand over so he could tangle their hands together and smiled when he glanced at her quickly. Holly didn’t say anything else as they came to a stop, instead pressing a quick kiss to his knuckles before getting out of the car. 

There wasn’t much to see at the scene. After a run through of what happened they were getting ready to leave only to get a call that there was another victim. Shot in the middle of a sidewalk. 

-

“It was over in a flash. He’s probably gone before anyone even realized what was happening,” Morgan said as the two detectives walked up telling them no one had witnessed anything. 

“Is this what it felt like during the son of Sam?” Kate asked, folding her arms across her chest. 

“First we realized if the violence was truly random, there was almost no way of stopping it. It seems like these people have figured that out,” Brustin explained. 

“From the placement of that camera, odds are the only view they’re gonna get is the back of his head,” Holly pointed up at the only camera near them, shifting closer to Derek. 

“Let’s not be too quick to decide what we do or don’t have.” Kate condescended before walking off. Derek turned shocked eyes to Aaron, surprised he was letting the woman speak to his daughter, a member of their team, that way. 

“You wanna tell me why I’m catching an attitude from her?” Holly nearly snarled, shocked and pissed off. 

“FBI Brass has made it clear to her that if she doesn’t bring this case home, she’s going to be reassigned,” Hotch explained, Holly shrugged and gave him a look not understanding what any of that had to do with her. 

“Apparently you are at the top of the list to replace her,” Hotch added, the thought of his daughter leaving his team struck a nerve in him but it could be a great opportunity for her as well. 

“Are you kidding me?” Holly asked, the anger from earlier gone but now she was just confused. 

“I don’t want you to be surprised. You’re good at your job, people notice that,” Holly shook her head, shifting a bit closer to Derek, only relaxing slightly when his hand came to rest on her lower back. She didn’t want to leave this team not now, not ever. 

“What happened to the bureau patting itself on the back for stealing her away from Scotland Yard?” Derek asked, he knew Holly wouldn’t want to leave their team but he also knew the bureau had ways of practically forcing agents to new positions and not giving them much say in the matter. 

“I don’t know. Politics here are different and you can see she doesn’t pull punches,” Aaron sighed before walking toward Rossi. 

“Come on, baby,” Derek mumbled gently pushing her forward with his hand still on her back. 

“Six murders and he’s finally communicating with us,” Rossi said, handing the plastic bag to Hotch. 

“What is it?” Brustin asked, liking over at the bag. 

“It’s a tarot card, death.” Derek answered, stopping at Hotch’s side with Holly, Kate walking up on his other side. 

“Isn’t that a little on the nose even for a psycho?” Cooper asked, looking between Hotch and Morgan. 

“So, we think this guys into spiritual garbage?” Brustin asked, a slight mocking tone in his voice as Holly took the card from Aaron. 

“Well, if he is he certainly doesn’t know tarot. The death card doesn’t actually signify physical death. It’s more of a transformation from one place to another; a job transformation, a new relationship,” Holly explained and didn’t miss the prying eyes of Joyner watching her as she spoke. 

“So if he’s not telling us he’s into fortune telling what’s with the tarot card?” Cooper asked, crossing his arms, man these guys were defensive. 

“The DC sniper left the exact same card at one of his scenes.” Rossi offered. 

“So this unsub must see himself in that role. He’s thriving off creating a panic?” Kate asked and she wasn’t wrong. 

“More important, he studies other cases. He’s telling us he knows we’re here,” Rossi explained, those were some of the more difficult unsubs to find. Not much was said after that instead the rest of the team headed back to headquarters to regroup. 

-

“What’ve we got?” Hotch asked as they walked into the bullpen, Prentiss, JJ and Reid crowded around one of the computers. 

“The latest shooting,” Emily answered letting the video play through when they were crowded around as well, “This is the previous.” 

“Notice anything weird?” JJ asked once the second video stopped. 

“He sprints off in one and walks calmly in the other, it’s two entirely different demeanors,” Morgan pointed out and it suddenly dawned on Holly what that could mean. 

“Six kills, his behavior should be set,” Rossi questioned. 

“Look at this, uh, Garcia, you still there?” Reid calls out leaning closer to the phone on the desk. 

_“Would I ever leave you? Okay, check it out. I did a digital perspective analysis rendering on the shootings where we have footage. Now, the first two are inconclusive, but the last two I found something tres weird. Your calm walking type, he is about 6’1”. But your sprinter, he’s like 5’9”, 5’10” tops.”_ Garcia explained as the images from the scenes popped up on the screen showing the heights. 

-

“We’ve got more than one unsub,” Hotch confirmed, that made this case that much harder. 

“So we have more than one unsub. What does that tell us?” Rossi asked after a moment of everyone taking in that information. 

“Most teams stick together, uh, Ng and Lake. The Krays. Bittaker and Norris. They don’t usually kill separately,” Reid offered. 

“Could be some kind of gang initiation,” Morgan added with a slight shrug. 

“Well, gangs will kill if you encroach on their territory, not random people all over the city,” Holly shook her head, and Morgan nodded at her in agreement. 

“I’ll coordinate with the gang task force, make sure we have an overview by morning,” JJ announced before pulling out her cell and walking away. 

“Do you think we have enough for a working profile?” Kate asked and it was obvious how stressed she was. 

“Broad strokes,” Rossi answered. 

“Dave, you and Reid talk to the agents here. Morgan and Holly, brief the police when each shift comes on duty tomorrow,” Hotch ordered looking towards the last two agents. 

“I think we should get out on the streets,” Holly spoke looking up at her dad who stopped what he was about to say when Joyner spoke. 

“I brought you here to create a profile,” Holly’s jaw dropped slightly at Kate’s words, her dad giving her a look to let it go but she ignored him. 

“Which we can give in the morning and then they can share it with the afternoon shift,” Holly retorted and at the risk of seeming childish she forced her face to stay neutral. 

“We’ve allocated every extra man we have. This is New York City. It’s not like a few more people are going to blanket the city,” Kate spoke, that same condescending tone from earlier in her voice. She felt Derek touch her wrist but it did little to calm her nerves at the moment. 

“I understand that it’s a long shot, but these guys hit at mid-day. We could target Ingress and Egress to particular neighborhoods. Position us near express stops, 14th, 42nd, 59th-“

“Holly, it’s not your call,” Aaron cut her off, Holly’s mouth snapped shut before she scoffed and was turning and stalking out of the station. 

-

Later that night Holly was sitting in her room. This had been one of the much nicer hotels they’d stayed at on a case. A nice big bed, a bay window with a view of the city. It was nice, almost nice enough to help her forget how pissed off she was at her dad right now. 

Papers were scattered on the desk, soft music was playing, a glass of whiskey poured though she’d already had two and she was dressed in a pair of night shorts, a tank top and an oversized hoodie that may or may not have belonged to Morgan at one point. He’d wrapped her up in it after a case where she’d gotten into a fight with the unsub and ended up in an ice cold lake, needless to say she just never gave the hoodie back. 

Holly stood up grabbing the whisky and taking a sip, the hints of vanilla and caramel danced on her tongue as the silky smooth liquid burned down her throat but that’s what she wanted. She was on edge and for once it wasn’t because of the case. Not to get confused the case was intense but between mixed feelings about her parents divorce, her dad subtly but not so subtly flirting with this woman that looked just like her mom, the same woman who wouldn’t stop making snide comments and remarks and also the possibility that if this case isn’t solved she could be forced to a different unit, yeah she was a bit stressed. 

A knock on the door pulled Holly from her thoughts, she didn’t know who would be coming by this late but she really hoped it wasn’t her dad. Pushing up on her tiptoes to look through the peephole she smiled a bit, dropping back down onto her feet and slid the chain from the door and pulled it open. Immediately greeted by that beautiful face and the smell of that cologne that drove her crazy. 

“Hey, there, pretty girl,” Derek spoke from where he was leaning against the door frame, his body hovering over her more than usual. 

He definitely didn’t miss the fact that she was wearing his hoodie and something about that made him feel things, the tank top she was wearing was tight and hugged all of her curves and beautiful toned legs were completely bare for him to see. 

“Hey, yourself,” She drawled, raising the glass to her lips but not taking a sip, taking in the way Derek’s eyes watched the movement of her lips on the glass. 

“I just wanted to come check on you, see if you wanted a drink, I see you started without me,” He teased, running a finger along her hand that was still holding the glass to her lips. 

“Mm. I could always use one more,” She offered, throwing back the last of the whiskey before backing into the room slowly, leaving the door open in invitation for him to follow. 

Derek watched as she backed away a very playful look on her face and he couldn’t help but feel like that was a bit dangerous for him but he followed anyway. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she turned and grabbed another glass, her body swaying slightly to the song playing. She glanced back at him as he started pulling off his jacket and he pretended not to notice the way her eyes trailed over his body. 

“So, how were things after I left?” Holly asked, unscrewing the bottle of Bourbon. 

“Tense,” Derek answered with a quiet chuckle. 

“I just really don’t like how he took her side. I mean if he’s trying to get in her pants cool. Good for him, I guess, but it’s just rude,” Holly frowned, sipping the whiskey before picking up the other glass and walking to Derek. 

“The man hasn’t been with anyone except your mom for a long time, I don’t think he really knows how to handle dealing with just a woman he likes especially not with his adult daughter around,” Derek tried to comfort, running two of his knuckles down her cheek and took the whiskey from her. 

“I mean you’re right, I know that, but it’s still hard. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be completely okay seeing him or even my mom with someone else,” Holly shook her head gently, melting into Derek’s hand when he turned it to caress her cheek. The moment only lasted for a second before Holly was leaning back, grabbing Derek’s hand and pulling him towards the window. 

“Been meaning to ask, how is your mama?” Holly asked as he raised the glass to his lips and threw back the whole drink and god did she wish they were pressing against her own. 

“Hm. She’s good, so are Desi and Sarah. They’ve been asking about you,” Derek smiled at her, his mom and sister did ask about her quite often even though they never even met her but it’s not like he didn’t look for any excuse to talk about her. 

“That’s good, when you finally gonna let me meet your mama?” Holly asked, her tone was playful but it hit Derek that now would be the perfect time to ask. 

“When are you finally gonna let me take you on a date?” His tone was just as playful as hers but his smile faltered when she looked surprised. 

“You actually want to take me on a date?” Holly asked, holding her glass so tight she thought it might bust. 

“Do you wanna go on a date with me?” Derek asked, dropping his voice down. He set his glass behind him on the shelf and leaned forward, his nose just barely touching hers as he spoke. She was looking up at him through lidded eyes and it took absolutely everything in him not to kiss her when she nodded her head yes. 

“Then, yes, I want to take you on a date,” Derek rumbled, one hand coming up to caress her face, the other taking her glass and carefully setting it by his own without pulling away from her. 

“Derek,” Holly breathed her now free hands coming to rest on his chest, his humming response vibrating her hand. 

“I wanna kiss you,” She whispered, leaning a bit forward to nose at his cheek. 

“You sure you’re not just drunk?” Derek asked, because no matter how much he wanted to kiss her he wouldn’t take advantage of her. 

“Derek, I only had three drinks and I’ve wanted to kiss you since the day I met you,” She answered with a light breathy chuckle. 

“You’re so beautiful, Holly,” Derek couldn’t help it, watching the way her lips parted, eyes falling shut and melting into his touch. 

“Come here,” Holly shifted before being pulled into Derek’s lap and that was definitely a position she wouldn’t mind being in more often. 

Then those hands were on her again, one sliding around her waist under the hoodie and the other cradling her face pulling her in oh so slowly. She knew he was giving her time to pull away but that was definitely not what she wanted. Derek had to swallow the groan when his lips finally pressed against hers and she sighed, her body pressing against him like it was something she’d been waiting for. He felt her breath hitch when his tongue slid against her bottom lip, jaw dropping slightly to let him in and there was no stopping the moan when their tongues slid together. Holly slowly pulled her lips from Derek’s, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, along his jaw and down his neck. 

“Oh, fuck,” Derek breathed, his head dropping back a little to give her more room, hissing when a wet tongue followed by a soft graze of teeth trailed up his neck then right back down. 

“Mm.” The quiet hum plus the petite body in his lap moving away drew Derek’s attention and he looked up to see her striding over to the bed before climbing in. 

He let out a quiet breath trying to hold it together as he watched her crawl across the bed before turning to him on her knees. The hoodie slipped from her shoulders and Derek couldn’t have stopped his eyes from wandering even if he wanted to. Without thinking Derek stood up when she beckoned him over. 

“Get in with me?” She asked, her voice just shy of seductive. 

“Holly-“

“Sh, I’m not trying to have sex with you. At least not right now,” She teased before pulling back the covers, “Just want you to lay with me.” 

Derek didn’t say anything else. He kept watching her as he slipped his shoes off and pushed his jeans down. He wasn’t ashamed that he had a boner and he knew she had known it was there. Holly didn’t care, she wanted to get him worked up and her mouth watered when he pulled his t-shirt over his head leaving him in just boxers and a black tank top. Then he was crawling in bed, resting on his knees right in front of her and he would absolutely be lying if he said he didn’t want to have sex, but he also didn’t want them to move that fast, he wanted this to be more than just sex. Derek leaned forward to wrap his arms around her before laying them down and pulling the cover up. 

Derek turned the light off, the room only lit by the city outside and this just felt right. Having her cuddled next to him, arms wrapped around her as her head rested on his chest it was perfect. 

“Stay with me?” Holly asked, her words slurred a little and it was obvious she was fighting sleep. 

“I’ll always stay with you, baby,” Derek whispered, kissing the top of her head. 

Derek lay awake for a while just listening to Holly’s soft breathing, running his fingers through her hair and just thinking how things couldn’t have gone any better tonight. He knew she was struggling with things with her dad, they were both worried she might get transferred and this case kept throwing curveballs but, man, laying here with her in his arms made that all so much better. He’d only gotten a few hours of sleep before waking up just before sunrise and as much as he wanted to stay he didn’t wanna risk sneaking out of her room any later so he gently untangled himself, smiling when she rolled into the spot he previously occupied. He dressed, walking over to the desk and grabbed her notepad writing her a quick note before leaving out quietly. 

-

Holly woke up only a couple hours later, frowning when she realized Derek wasn’t in bed with her any more. Her eyes fell on the window, the sun just starting to rise painting the sky shades of yellow and orange that faded into blue. She sighed pushing up in bed and stretching out. She leaned over to check the time and noticed the notepad on her bedside table that hadn’t been there the night before. 

_Good morning, baby. Sorry you had to wake up without me, trust me I didn’t wanna leave I just didn’t want to risk running into anyone this morning and have to deal with any questions. I can’t wait to see you beautiful, I’ll meet you at the station with some coffee_

_-Derek_

Holly smiled reading over the note, at least he hadn’t left because he regretted the kiss or asking her out. The thought of both of those things made her giddy and ready to start the day. They were paired up to give the profile and brief each shift of police so they would be together the majority of the day and that just made her happy. 

-

“Mm, this for me?” Holly asked, pressing against Derek’s back and reaching around him for the coffee next to his cup. Normally she wouldn’t be showing so much PDA but there wasn’t anyone else in the break room. 

“Indeed it is, mama,” Derek smirked, turning in her arms to face her. 

“I noticed you snuck out on me,” Holly teased, sipping the coffee. 

“Come on, baby, you know it ain’t like that,” Derek mock pouted, making Holly laugh. 

“Well, lucky for you I can’t say no to those puppy dog eyes,” Holly grinned up at him, that same giddy feeling from last night returning when Derek’s hand came up to rest on her cheek. 

“I promise I’ll make it up to you as soon as this case is over,” He breathed leaning in to press his lips to hers. Holly pushed up a bit on her toes to deepen the kiss, sighing when his tongue slid past her lips. 

“Oh my god,” The two pulled away at Penelope’s quiet voice, the door on the far side of the room shutting though neither ever heard it open. 

“Hey, baby girl,” 

“Hey, Penny,” 

“Don’t ‘Hey Penny-Baby Girl’ me, like you two were just tonguing each other down,” Garcia answered, an accusing tone in her voice. 

“You know actually Holly and I really gotta go brief this mornings shift,” Derek said, grabbing Holly’s hand and pulling her towards the other door in the room. 

“Sorry Penelope,” Holly said but couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. 

“Hey, this isn’t over,” Garcia called after them and it was quite obvious how amused she was, Holly and Derek both just laughed. 

-

“Okay, let's start with what we know. With these unsubs it’s not personal. It’s not about sex. It’s not about greed,” Derek started after all the police officers arrived. 

“Which is why we think there’s something bigger at play here. This isn’t random. There has to be a motive.” Holly added looking over the crowd of officers. 

“Now, our first theory is that we’re dealing with a team. In the case of the DC snipers, there was actually one intended victim. John Muhammad wanted to kill his ex-wife but he knew if he did he would be the prime suspect. So he created a spree in order to mask his primary motivation. Muhammad and Malvo also left a death card at one of their scenes,” Derek explained, waiting a moment as the officers wrote a few things down. 

“We believe our unsubs have studied that case. They’re opening a line of communication-“

“Hold on, so now we got these guys playing games just cause you’re here?” One of the officers cut Holly off but it didn’t phase her. 

“We're just saying the unsubs are sophisticated enough to study other crimes,” Holly answered, not giving him a yes or no answer because they really couldn’t. 

“That doesn’t answer the question-“

“Joe, easy. Hear them out,” Detective Cooper spoke up from the side of the room. 

“Hey, I got requests for gun permits up 200% in my precinct. This whole city’s about to go off and we all need to deal with that,” Joe responded, none of them blamed the officers or anyone else for being on edge. 

“Listen, you’re right. If the card was left because of us, then yes, they are playing games. But what that tells us is at least one of them has some intelligence. And like Agent Hotchner said, they know about other cases,” Derek stepped in leaving the end open to direct the conversation back to Holly. 

“He’s also studied the placement of the surveillance systems well enough to avoid detection,” Holly started again before grabbing the stack of folders next to her to pass out to the officers. 

“Most teams have a dominant and submissive member, because of the relative intelligence of these unsubs, and the fact that they stick to a pattern, we believe at least one of them has a steady job,” Holly spoke as she handed the filed out for the officers to study. 

“We ask that you canvas your precincts. Check businesses that open and close around the time of the shootings. We’re hoping someone will be able to identify a father, son or coworkers that fit the dominant-submissive profile,” Derek spoke again, taking a step back for Holly to pass. 

“And what’s the other theory?” Another Officer in the back asked as Holly made her way back to the front by Derek’s side. 

“It’s less likely, but it could be some sort of gang initiation. We’re gonna ask that you put every available undercover on the streets. In the folders you’ll also find all known gang members in Manhattan. Most of them are out of Chinatown and Clinton. We’d like you to study these and keep and eye out for anyone who looks suspicious,” Holly explained looking up at Derek. 

“Like they said we think there’s something bigger at play here. So talk to the people on your beats, see if something sparks, and pray that this thing ain’t random,” Detective Brustin spoke as the officers flipped through the folders. 

There wasn’t much to say after the fact. Brustin and Cooper would stay behind a little longer and give specific orders to some of the officers on where to go while Holly and Derek would head back to the federal building to regroup with the team. In the car Holly and Derek took a moment to just be alone. Trading sweet kisses both just praying this case would end the way they wanted so they could get back home and explore this, well, whatever this was. The federal building was far from the NYPD and they reluctantly got out of the vehicle, pulling away from one another and shifting back into work mode. 

-

“Does it look like it could be one of our guys?” Hotch asked into the phone. 

“What’s going on?” Holly asked, her and Derek walking up at the same time as Kate and Rossi. 

“We’ve got eyes on one of them. He’s on the subway platform at 59th and Lex,” Hotch turned back to glance at her but didn’t say anything else. 

“59th? We could’ve been right there,” Holly bit out, looking over at Kate who at least had the decency to look guilty. 

_“He’s got a gun. He shot her.”_ Garcia’s voice came over the phone speakers. 

“Where the hell are the police?” Kate asked though she wasn’t talking to anyone in general it made Holly clench her jaw angrily. 

“We could’ve had that guy,” Holly shook her head. 

“Even if we were on that platform, odds are he would have moved on to someone isolated,” Kate retorted, Holly could tell she probably felt bad but she had made the wrong call. 

“Maybe but it was worth taking a shot,” Holly snapped. 

“We had every available man on the streets-“ 

“And I suggested to you that you use this team,” Holly cut the woman off feeling Derek step behind her when she took a step forward. 

“Second guessing doesn’t do us any good right now,” Hotch held a hand out to stop her. 

“Dad, how am I supposed to look these cops in the eye and tell them we’re actually here to help them?” Holly asked angrily, glaring up at him. 

“We’re here to present a profile. That’s what we need to do,” He reprimanded making Holly scoff. 

“I said to put us at express stop, 14th, 42nd, 59th, and that’s exactly where he hit-“

“It’s not your place to have this discussion,” Hotch cut her off like he was talking to a child. The whole team was shocked to say the least, sure the two butted heads but they rarely spoke down to one another the way Hotch just did. 

“Not my place?” Holly asked, completely offended. 

“You need to back off,” Hotch ordered. 

“We got 7 bodies, dad-“ 

“Which is exactly why we need to focus,” Hotch cut her off, surprised when she stepped up to him. 

“Focused? From where I’m standing all of your focus is on her,” Holly spat, the words coming out in an angry snarl but she didn’t back down. She rarely if ever stepped up to her dad this way but he was wrong and even if she was wrong for acting this way he would know that he was wrong too. 

“Take a walk now,” Aaron spoke quietly, biting back the urge to take back how he’d just spoken to her but he couldn’t. Not now. But she still hadn’t stepped away. 

“Holly,” Derek called out quietly behind her. He knew neither would get physical with the other of course but things didn’t need to get any worse either. Hotch knew his daughter well enough to know she wouldn’t back down first so instead he took a step back watching her face fall slightly. 

Holly scoffed quietly, turning around quickly and leaving the building. She had snatched the keys off of the table and slammed the door to the SUV so hard it shook before she was speeding off toward the hotel. 

-

Holly headed straight for the bar and ordered a whiskey but hadn’t touched it, knowing if she did she wouldn’t be able to go back into work at all and that’s honestly not what she wanted. She noticed immediately when Rossi walked into the bar but she had kinda been hoping Derek would be the one to come talk to her. 

“I know. I know. I was out of line,” Holly shook her head before he could say anything because even though Kate made the wrong call because she just didn’t like Holly and her dad was taking the other woman’s side she still should have acted more professional. 

“You get too emotional sometimes especially when your dad is involved. I know the feeling,” Dave answered and she was thankful he wasn’t using his lecture voice. 

“I just feel like he was taking her side, uncle Dave,” 

“There are no sides here,” Rossi shook his head watching Holly second guess what she wanted to say before sighing. 

“I know,” She nodded, stirring the drink with the tiny black draw. 

“Word is, they have an eye on you if SSA Joyner gets canned,” Rossi shrugged when she glanced over at him, “What? People talk, but if she were to get fired it would be because we didn’t solve this case.” 

“Uncle Dave, I hope you’re not saying you think I want her to fail,” She looked at him, turning in her seat to completely face him. 

“Of course not. But I’ve never seen you push a superior like that before, especially not your dad,” David pointed out watching her jaw clenched before she turned back in her seat. 

“So would you take the job?” He asked, she shook her head but he could see the hesitation. 

“I don’t know. I love this team, I love my job but it might be nice to be the one calling the shots and not- and not feeling like I’m living in my dad’s shadow. And just the BAU wears people out. Look at Gideon, he was _the_ best and in the end he simply ran away. I mean dad, god, I don’t even remember the last time he actually really smiled, it caused him and mom to divorce he barely gets to spend any time with Jack. And what about you? How many times have you been married now?” Holly asked, not holding back at all and Dave understood he really did. 

“I get it but I’ll make you a deal. If I think you’re losing it I’ll pull you out myself. Right now, I see someone who wants to get back on the job. Or is there another reason you haven’t even touched that drink?” Rossi retorted, patting her back as he stood up and headed out of the bar. Holly bit her lip looking down at the drink before silently nodding to herself. 

“Hey, uncle Dave, wait up,” Holly called, jogging down the corridor to catch up to him. 

“Let’s get back to work, kiddo.” Dave nodded, resting a hand on her back before leading her out of the hotel. 

-

“Listen, um, about before-“ 

“You spoke your mind. I respect that. It’s all good,” Kate stopped Holly, there was no need for her to apologize. Holly nodded, meeting her dad's eyes briefly but he didn’t say anything to her. 

“JJ, Reid, Prentiss and Morgan went to the crime scene with the detectives,” He informed looking away from the computer. 

“This is the first time they’ve killed two days in a row, they’re speeding up,” Holly pointed out, this would be the point when the case was the hardest. 

“Your analyst went over the latest footage. This is a different shooter from the last two,” Kate spoke, pointing at the screen with her pen. 

“There’s three of them now?” Rossi asked and Hotch nodded. 

“Who the hell are these guys?” Holly shook her head. 

“And...I want you all out in the streets tomorrow,” Kate met Holly’s eye and held the eye contact for the first time. She wanted so bad to make a remark about how that should have been the case before but the woman was trying, she wasn’t being condescending or rude like before so Holly just nodded at her. 

“What are we missing?” Rossi asked, pulling both women’s attention towards him. 

“When we first saw this case what did it remind us of?” Hotch asked liking between Holly and Rossi 

“Son of Sam,” Rossi answered. 

“Same kind of unsub. Random shootings, not need driven, no sexual component,” Hotch said, bouncing ideas off of each other was an important part of this job and he was wondering if they would catch on to anything he hadn’t. 

“Except Berkowitz admitted that he would return to the scenes of his crimes days later to masturbate,” Holly corrected. 

“Exactly,” Hotch nodded and they both realized what he meant. 

“So you’re thinking if this unsub has a similar MO…” Kate trailed off not quite understanding. 

“We get Garcia to study the footage and see if the same person keeps returning to the crime scenes in the days following the shootings. All we’ve been looking at right now are the immediate aftermaths of the crimes,” Hotch explained, Holly and Rossi both nodding. 

“It’s worth a shot,” Dave agreed. 

“We’ll hit the street tomorrow. Dave, will you grab Reid and go over the profile to make sure we didn’t leave anything out? Thank,” Hotch nodded when Rossi turned to leave. 

“Holly, you can head back to the hotel for now, you’ll be paired up with detective Cooper tomorrow, that okay?” Hotch asked. 

“Yeah. Goodnight, dad,” Holly gave him a small wave before turning around. 

“Goodnight,” He called after her. 

-

“Holly,” Derek stood up from where he was leaning against the side of the building. 

“Hey,” Holly smiled, turning around and walking towards him. 

“I was waiting for you, wanted to drive you back to the hotel,” Derek grabbed her face, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. 

“Let’s get outta here,” She grinned up at him. 

The night ended just like the one before. He filled her in on finding out JJ is pregnant, she told him about her conversation with Rossi, there was a bit of making out and then they fell asleep in bed together, Derek sneaking out a few hours before the alarms only this time he woke her up to say goodbye. Needless to say it was much harder to leave than the night before when all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms. Now he was walking around the city with JJ and Holly was with Detective Cooper. 

-

_“Okay people, talk to me. Mouseketeer roll call, 59th street?”_ Garcia called through their earpieces. 

“Check,” Holly answered through the piece in her wrist. 

_“Herald square?”_

_“Check,”_ JJ responded. 

_“Chamber street?”_

_“Check”_ Hotch conformed. 

_“72nd Street?”_

_“Check,”_ Prentiss called. 

Holly and Cooper had been walking down the street for a while making casual conversation. It was getting close to the time that these guys had been attacking and then the shot rang out. Holly and Cooper shared a look. 

“Garcia?” Holly called through the piece. 

_“16th and Broadway. He’s running East on 16th,”_ Garcia called. 

“He’s headed our way,” Holly told Cooper, before the two were running in that direction. 

Just as they turned the corner a young black guy in a hoodie stopped when they caught his eye. He quickly turned around and started running in the other direction. Holly pulled out her gun running close behind Cooper as he shouted for the crowd to move. Cooper’s gun was raised as he turned the same corner as the unsub when another shot rang out and Cooper was falling to the ground. Holly was ready when she turned the corner, shooting the guy and rushing over to pick his gun up, when she was sure he was down she turned back. 

“Cooper?” Holly called out rushing back over. 

“Garcia, we’ve got an officer down. 16th West of Union Square,” Holly called, vaguely hearing Garcia reply. 

“Hey, you’re gonna be okay,” Holly tried to comfort, putting pressure on his shoulder. It thankfully didn’t take long for the ambulance to get to them and get Cooper loaded up in the ambulance while other EMTs were handling the shooter. 

“Hey, you okay?” Derek asked, his hand caressing her face not caring that they were out in the open. 

“Yeah,” She answered, giving him a small nod. 

“Is he gonna make it?” JJ asked. 

“I don’t know. He’s lost a lot of blood,” Holly answered leaning into Derek and if JJ was surprised she didn’t say anything. 

“I shouldn’t have had to shoot him,” Holly said quietly after a moment of silence. 

“Holly, he shot a cop. You did what you had to do,” Derek reasoned, he knew how hard it could be shooting a young person even if they put you or someone else in danger. 

“No, no. It’s not that. I mean he was ahead of us. He would have gotten away, but he stopped and he waited,” Holly explained. 

“So he felt trapped, figured he’d shoot his way out,” JJ asked. 

“I don’t know,” Holly shook her head looking down. 

“Holly, look at me, baby, tell me about his behavior. Was he acting panicked? Was he winded?” Derek moved to stand right in front of her looking down at her as she shook her head. 

“His hands were steady. His eyes were dead calm. I mean, these guys have been hyper vigilant, organized. They do pre-surveillance. I mean, what are the odds they would shoot somebody two blocks from where Cooper and I were standing?” Holly explained, her hand reaching out for Derek’s, rubbing at his palm absentmindedly. 

“You think he would deliberately shoot someone where he could get caught?” JJ asked, if that was the case then the profile could be wrong. 

“What if he did? What if they choose this spot because we were here?” 

“What are you thinking, Hols?” JJ asked, her and Derek sharing a look. 

“He had no ID on him. He waited until we caught up to him. He was strangely calm. I don’t- it’s almost like suicide by cop,” Holly shook her head again, she could be right she could be wrong but something about the whole situation just didn’t make sense. 

“Why? Why would he do that?” Derek asked, trying to figure out where her thoughts were at. 

“I- I don’t know. Maybe to make us think everything was finished?” Holly offered but she still wasn’t fully sure. 

“We need to walk back though this profile.” Derek agreed, Holly and JJ both nodding in agreement. 

-

“So how does this work?” Derek asked, sitting on a desk next to Holly. 

“The murders simulate a bombing. From there they station someone to watch a gauge police response time,” Reid explained. 

“At which point they know when to bring in a second bomb,” Derek added, understanding what Reid was saying. 

“The goal is always to take out the first round of civilians, followed by a second wave of emergency responders,” Kate nodded looking at Derek. 

“It’s crazy but ingenious they get a practice run and if someone catches the shooter they think they just have a murderer, the cell isn’t compromised.” Holly looked at read and he nodded at her. 

“It’s Lo-Fi. Smartest way to plan for a terrorist event,” Kate added. 

“Creating panic ensures that they see the most urgent response times short of a bombing,” Hotch agreed, almost positive they were looking for a terrorist group. 

“So there’s been 7 different shooters?” JJ asked from where she was sitting. 

“Having followers do the shootings would ensure they’re willing to kill or be killed for the cause,” Rossi confirmed. 

“It fits the profile. There is something larger at play. It simulates a gang initiation,” Holly added. 

“Especially if they’re home grown. They haven’t had a chance to prove themselves,” Hotch said. 

“Alright. Prentiss you head to the hospital check on Cooper and brief Detective Brustin. Dave, will you go talk to the commissioner? Morgan you brief homeland security. JJ and Reid go talk to the port authority police. Holly, you come with me and Kate to talk to the Mayor. Well all meet back here as soon as possible,” Hotch announced, he hated splitting up his team right now but he knew it was their best shot to get the information they needed. 

Derek pressed a quick kiss to Holly’s cheek as they both hopped off of the desk whispering a soft ‘be safe’ so no one but her could hear. She didn’t answer, just brushed her hand against his before following Aaron who’d just finished talking to JJ and Reid. 

“Hey,” Hotch stopped Holly once they were outside letting Kate walk ahead of them. 

“I’m sorry about how I spoke to you yesterday. I know it wasn’t fair-“ 

“Dad, it’s okay. We butt heads sometimes don’t worry about it,” Holly shook her head, turning to wrap her arms around her dad in a tight hug. He didn’t say anything else just smiled before going to catch up with Kate. 

-

The explosion happened before any of them could react. One second Holly was turning to say something to Kate, the chirp of the SUV unlocking sounded then a boom and everything went black. 

Hotch was dazed. He didn’t know how much time had passed, how long he’d been standing in the middle of the street or even how he got up off the ground. All he knew is the white noise in his ears was slowly starting to disappear as his eyes focused on the TV store in front of him that reflected his own images in front of a burning vehicle. He turned around slowly, a car alarm suddenly blaring and he still couldn’t completely comprehend what had happened. 

“Hey, you okay?” Hotch blinked, who was this guy and where did he come from?

“What’s your name?” Hotch asked, his own voice sounding just as far away and muted as this guys. 

“Uh, Sam-“ 

“Call 911,” Hotch responded looking around but not really about to take in whatever he was looking for. 

“Yeah, yeah I did,” The kid nodded. 

“Call 911 and tell them there’s been an explosion,” There it is, an explosion, that’s what happened Aaron nodded slowly to himself. 

“Sir, are you okay?” Sam asked, furrowing his brow when Aaron’s face changed. 

“Call 911, tell them…that a federal agent…” Hotch trailed off walking around the kid slowly towards the vehicle. 

“Okay, so you want me to tell them you’re federal-“ 

“Holly! Holly!” Aaron called, he could vaguely hear Sam on the phone with 911 but he had to find his baby. 

“Holly!” He yelled again, backing up when the flames burned him. He ripped his jacked off wrapping it around his arm and holding it in front of his face. 

“Holly!” Aaron called out but he could see if she was in the vehicle.

He took a step back taking a heaving breath trying to hold back a sob. The sound of whimpering caught his attention, he turned to the sound immediately, his eyes falling on the body in the middle of the road. 

“Holly,” He nearly cried before running to her, Kate’s body not far away. 

“Daddy?” Holly asked, reaching out to him. 

“Hey, sweetheart, I’m right here,” Aaron answered, petting her head as he looked her over for any major injuries. 

“Sh. Hey stop trying to move,” He whispered grabbing her face so she’d look at him. 

“Dad? Daddy, what happened to you? What happened?” Holly asked, on the verge of crying seeing her dad's bloody face, and Aaron couldn’t help but notice how her lower body wasn’t moving at all. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know, a, uh, a bomb I think. An IED. I think it was an IED,” Aaron answered. 

“IED?” She asked like she had no idea what that meant. 

“I have to get up. I- I have to,” 

“No, no, no, no. Lie down, just lie still, sweetie,” Hotch shushed her, holding her so she would stop. 

“Am I moving my legs- my legs. Daddy? Am I moving my legs?” Holly cried, a bloody hand coming up to grasp his shirt sleeve. Aaron looked down, heart sinking when he realized she wasn’t moving her legs. 

“Sh. You’re gonna be okay. I need- I need to go check on Kate alright?” Holly let out a quiet sob but she nodded pushing him slightly so he would know it was okay. Holly laid there looking up at the sky. There were so many stars out tonight. She wished Derek was here to look at the stars with her she thought as a few tears slipped down her cheek. 

“Is Kate alright?” Holly asked as Aaron leaned over her. 

“I- no. She’s, she doesn’t have a pulse and she’s not breathing. It looks like she lost a lot of blood,” Aaron explained, glancing over and Holly. The sound of sirens getting closer echoed around them Aaron kept calling out not understanding why they were coming. 

“Damnit,” He cursed looking around for someone, anyone to help them before calling out to the first responders again. 

“Dad, they’re not gonna come. We told them not to remember?” Holly asked, her hand grasping his arm again, whimpering when she tried to move. 

“The first wave of responders are the targets,” She reminded him and he nodded slowly, yes, of course he knew that. He had to do something though, she could be hurt really bad, he needed to get her to a hospital. 

“Daddy, you don’t have to say-“ 

“I’m not leaving you,” Aaron said, shaking his head he would never leave her. 

“Officer down! We need help, we cannot move!” Aaron shouted, there was no way they couldn’t hear him. 

“They’re not coming,” The kid, Sam, was back. What was he still doing here?

“Orders were to not let anyone in until the area is cleared,” Holly reminded him, her bottom lip quivering as she spoke. 

“Holly. Holly, hey, keep your eyes open,” Aaron called when her eyes rolled back for a second before focusing back on him. 

“Hey how do you feel? Come on, talk to me,” Aaron patted her cheek gently. 

“I’m- I feel cold,” She answered, lip quivering again as she spoke. 

“Hey, hey open your eyes, I see Morgan, he’s here,” Hotch called softly, watching her eyes flutter again. 

“Derek?” She mumbled, her head rolling to the side to look for him. 

“Please, help us! We’re down here!” Hotch yelled again then someone, Derek, Derek was running towards them. 

“Hotch!” Holly’s eyes opened again hearing that voice echo, the sound of feet pounding on the ground then there he was. 

“Holly, baby,” Derek breathed, laying a hand on her face. 

“Derek,” She slurred again, barely able to keep her eyes open. 

“I’m here, I’m right here, baby,” Derek promised, as a small hand found his and squeezed it. 

“Morgan we’ve got to get her out of here,” Hotch looked at him with pleading eyes not actually knowing how badly she was hurt. 

“They’re not letting any ambulances down here till they clear the scene. Kid, you’ve gotta get behind the barricades, go on,” Derek ordered the kid immediately turning his attention back to Holly. 

“Talk to me, can we move her? Hotch, can we carry her?” Derek asked, his hands framing Holly’s face. 

“No, Derek, I tried. We gotta do something, I can’t lose her,” Aaron’s voice broke off. 

“Hey, hey baby, can you open your eyes for me,” Derek called out, a small hand coming up to rest on his face made him lean closer, that hand pulling him until their faces were just a breath away. In that moment Derek didn’t care that Hotch was right there, he pressed his lips to Holly’s and forced away his tears. 

“You’re gonna be okay, baby, you’re gonna be okay,” Derek promised, pecking her lips once more before his phone started ringing. 

“Garcia I got Hotch and Holly,” Derek answered the phone, “But listen to me you gotta get somebody down here right now, Holly’s hurt real bad and we can’t move her. What?” The change in his tone made Hotch look at him and he realized Derek was liking past him. 

“You sure?” Derek asked into the phone and hung up just a second later. 

“Hotch, the kid. He’s the bomber,” Derek told him and he nodded quickly. 

“Go, I’ve got her,” Hotch ordered, watching Derek press another kiss to her lips before taking off after the guy. 

“Holly, hey. There's something you wanna tell me?” Aaron asked, trying to be playful, but also trying to keep her awake. 

“I love Derek,” She mumbled, her shaking hand reaching for his. 

“I know you do, baby, does he know that?” Hotch asked hoping the conversation would keep her up. 

“I haven’t- we’re not even dating. But he- he asked me out, said after this case he wanted to take me on a date. But I love him, I think I’ve loved him for a long time,” Holly answered, another tear falling from her eye and mixing with the blood on her cheek. 

“I think he’s loved you for a long time too, sweetheart,” Aaron confessed and he couldn’t have picked anyone better for his baby to love. Derek was a good man, he’d know for a long time that they would end up together before they ever really started flirting or anything. 

“I’m sorry, daddy,” Holly suddenly cried. 

“What? Why?” He asked, squeezing her hand. 

“For how I’ve been acting since you and mom split up. I know it’s not your fault and I know it’s not hers and I- I’ve been awful to both of you, especially you the last couple of days and I’m just- I’m sorry,” She cried again, fresh tears filling and spilling down her cheeks. 

“Hey, sh, sh, sh. You have nothing to apologize for. I love you so much, Holly. You’ll always be my baby, just know that, no matter what,” He promised, leaning down to kiss her head. The sound of a siren whooping once caught Aaron’s attention, it came around the corner, the ambulance pulling up slowly, coming to a stop just a few feet away. 

“She- she can't move,” Hotch said, nothing that Holly’s eyes had fallen shut again. 

“You okay?” The EMT asked, kneeling down next to them. 

“I just want to get her out of here,” Hotch answered. 

“Her pulse is weak and thready. I’m gonna need your help okay?” The man asked, unzipping the bag. 

“Is the area cleared?” Hotch asked looking around. 

“You were calling out for help and I couldn’t just listen anymore. My partner was too afraid to come in with me,” The man explained. 

“Holly, we're gonna get you out of here,” Hotch whispered, petting at her hair again, his heart dropping when he realized she was still passed out. 

“Alright I need you to hold her head still while I put this collar on her, we need to stabilize her neck before we move her any more, okay?” Hotch nodded following the man’s instruction on how to hold her head while he slipped the cervical collar on before they both transferred her onto the gurney. 

“Where’s the closest emergency room?” Hotch asked from the front seat of the ambulance after they got Holly loaded up in the back. 

“St. Barkley’s,” The man answered from the back as he tended to Kate. 

“Where?” Hotch asked. 

“St Barkley’s. It’s four blocks uptown, one block East. Emergency entrance is under the hospital, just follow the signs to the ER.” The man explained Hotch nodded to himself before flipping on the sirens and pulling off. 

“Hey, look who’s back,” Holly flinched at the voice she didn’t recognize and the bright light above her that had replaced the stars from earlier. 

“Is she awake?” Hotch asked, trying to look back. 

“Dad? Is that my dad?” Holly asked, her head rolling a bit trying to look in the direction of the voice. 

“Are you her dad?” The man asked, seeming slightly surprised. 

“Yeah. Holly we made it. You’re gonna be okay,” Aaron called to her. 

“Thank you,” Holly whispered looking at the man. 

“Don’t thank me, thank your dad,” Aaron took a deep breath, thank him? There was no reason for her to thank him. Aaron rolled down the window as he slowed to a stop. 

“What’s this?” Aaron asked. 

“Secret service. We’re directing all emergencies over to Lenox Hill,” 

“I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner. I have SSA Holly Hotchner on board. She was injured in the bomb blast,” Hotch explained. 

“Credentials,” The agent asked. 

“They’re in my jacket at federal plaza,” Hotch rushes out cursing silently. 

“I appreciate that, agent, but this hospital is on a strict bypass,” 

“What is that?” Aaron asked. 

“It means the hospital is closed. We’re redirecting all emergencies over to Lenox Hill,” The man spoke again. 

“She’s not gonna make it to Lenox Hill,” Hotch said a nearly begging tone in his voice as the machine in the back started beeping. 

“I’m losing her!” The man from the back called and Hotch could’ve sworn his heart would burst at those words. 

“She’s crashing!” The man called again. 

“Please,” Hotch said, his voice shaking dangerously. 

“Open it up!” The agent called nodding at Hotch, the other men moving the barricades for him to drive through. 

-

“Doc. FBI. How are Aaron and Holly Hotchner?” Morgan asked as he walked up to the desk pulling out his credentials. 

“He’s got acute acoustic trauma in his right ear, and I pulled shrapnel from his leg. We don’t know much about Ms. Hotchner right now, she’s having some test run. She had a severe head injury and possible damage to her spinal cord. We know she was dealing with partial paralysis when she was first brought in but it’s most likely nothing permanent,” Derek nodded at the doctor about to answer when he heard Hotch’s voice down the hall. 

“Agent Hotchner, lie down,” The doctor spoke as he and Derek walked in. 

“Doctor, I’m alright,” Hotch insisted. 

“Hotch, stop it. Just calm down. Doc, I got it, okay?” Derek liked back at the dr who nodded before him and the nurse left out. 

“Morgan- Morgan where’s Holly?” He asked worriedly. 

“She’s still having some test run,” 

“Where are my clothes?” Hotch asked, his voice louder than needed but he probably couldn’t even tell with the damage to his ear. 

“Hotch, your go bags are on the way,” Derek stopped him. Hotch took a deep breath composing himself before looking at Morgan. 

“Morgan, if she’s not okay…” Hotch trailed off. 

“She’s gonna be fine, you know better than anyone how strong she is. She’s a fighter,” Derek stopped him, he refused to believe anything other than that. 

Hotch didn’t say anything else but he looked on the verge of crying, something Morgan had only seen once or twice a year, usually when Holly was in trouble on the job. He couldn’t say anything else either so he just sat by Hotch and waited for their team to get there. 

-

“Are you okay?” Emily asked once they got there with Hotch’s bag and he was able to get dressed. 

“Yeah, I just want to understand how I’m still alive,” Hotch answered. 

“We think the idea was to maim, not to kill,” Reid spoke up as Hotch started putting on his vest. 

“Did you identify Sam, the bomber?” Hotch asked looking over his team. 

“Garcia put Sam and the other unsub into every known database. Nothing.” Reid answered giving him a half shrug. 

“We know how terror cells evolve. They learn from one campaign to the next. How to stay off radar like the London Bomber,” Rossi stated, catching Aaron’s eye. 

“Yeah, but they, uh, they hit at 8:50 in the morning with a series of coordinated blasts aimed at London’s transportation systems and this cell targeted a lone SUV. Where the only people on the streets were three federal agents,” Hotch shook his head. 

“Agents, Ms. Hotchner is in recovery now. She’s awake but please keep it to one person,” The doctor spoke as he walked up. 

“Morgan, you go and check on her. I think she’s gonna want to see you, just tell her I love her and I’ll be in to see her soon,” Hotch turned, Derek wanted to argue but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t need to see her right so he just nodded, patting Aaron’s shoulder and let the dr lead him back. 

-

“Hey there, baby girl,” Derek spoke gently, running his hand over Holly’s hair smiling when she looked up at him. 

“Derek,” She murmured, reaching out for him lazily. 

“I thought I told you to be safe?” Derek asked, surprised when she chuckled almost silently. 

“How is everyone? Is my dad okay? What about Kate? The team?” Holly asked, her finger tips running over Derek’s palm. 

“Kate- she died from the blast. Your dad, and everyone else is okay,” Derek nodded, for a second it looked like she might start crying but the tears never came. 

“You’ve got your vest on,” Holly pointed out. 

“What?” 

“You’ve got your vest on, you’ve always looked good in that vest,” Holly mumbled, her other hand coming up to rest on the fabric of the bullet proof vest. 

“Are you trying to flirt with me right now?” Derek asked, despite the serious situation he was very amused. 

“Mm. Always. You know your mine right?” Holly asked, pulling Derek’s hand up so their intertwined hands were resting by her head. 

“Oh yeah? Yours huh?” He asked, and he really liked the sound of that.

“Yeah, all mine,” Holly nodded, her eyes dropping down a bit. 

“I brought this for you,” Derek whispered, laying his jacket over her with his free hand catching the small smile on her face when she mumbled something about it ‘being warm and smelling like him’.

“And just so you know you're all mine,” Derek promised, leaning in close to brush his lips against hers when she nodded before kissing her deeply. 

“We’ve got some work left to do okay, I’m gonna be back soon, your dad will be here soon, he said to tell you he loves you but you need to get some rest, okay?” Derek asked, running his knuckles down her cheek. 

“Kiss me again?” Holly asked, looking up at Derek, he couldn’t say no even if he wanted to. 

He brought his other hand up to cradle her face between his hand before leaning down. He rubbed his nose against hers, brushed their lips together then kissed her, only lightly surprised when she was the one to deepen the kiss. Her hands came up grasping the fabric that covered his biceps and slipped her tongue into his mouth. She kissed him like she needed him, like kissing him was the only thing keeping her safe and sane and in a way it was. When she woke up in here after the blast everything felt wrong but now that Derek was here it felt alright. She knew he had to leave again but she also knew he would be back just like he promised, Derek never breaks his promises. 

“Okay, go on, but come back to me,” Holly breathed against his lips, sounding much more alert and not able to stop herself from kissing him again. 

“I’ll always come back to you, Holly,” Derek promised, hesitantly pulling away. Her eyes stayed closed and he watched her cuddle his jacket before he turned to leave the room. 

-

“How is she?” Hotch asked as Morgan walked back down the hall. 

“She’s gonna be okay, good news the paralysis was temporary just from the head injury she sustained in the blast, she was awake and talkative but falling back asleep just before I left out,” The team let out a collective breath, thankful their friend, their family member was gonna be okay. 

“The ambulance I drove in here, where is it now?” Hotch asked as the team rushed to the security desk, after filling Hotch in they realized that the hospital they were in was the target all along. 

“In the basement, why?” The secret service agent from before asked. 

“There’s a bomb in it,” Morgan answered. 

“What?” 

“It’s rigged to assassinate whoever it is your protecting, you need to get them-“ 

“Hit the alarms,” The agent cut Prentiss off. 

“You need to get them and everyone else out of here right now,” She finished, whoever it was it was obvious the men were panicked. 

“I can’t do that. He’s in surgery as we speak,” 

“The paramedic I came in with, do you have eyes on him?” Hotch asked, leaning to look at the screen where the agent pointed, “Is that a cell in his hands?” 

“Garcia, can you remote access the cell grid I’m in and jam all the frequencies?” Rossi asked through the mic on his sleeve. 

_“Yeah I can buy only for a short period of time.”_ Garcia responded, already typing on her computer. 

“There’s a bomb in the basement of this building,” Rossi rushed. 

_“I’m on it,”_ Penelope confirmed. 

“Look he’s coming back,” Emily pointed at the screen when the alarms started going off. 

“Reid, will you go back upstairs, make sure Holly’s okay? I don’t want her to worry with the alarms going off,” Hotch glanced back at Reid, the younger man nodding before running back in the direction of the stairs. 

“Spence, what’s going on?” Holly asked as he walked into the room. 

“Hotch asked me to come up, everything’s okay,” Reid nodded and Holly found it almost comical how bad of a liar he was to any of them. 

“You’re lying,” Holly narrowed her eyes at him. 

“There’s a bomb in the basement,” He said, no hesitation at all. 

“Give me my go bag now,” 

“What? Holly, no. You have a severe concussion, you suffered from partial paralysis-“ 

“Reid, I’m fine. Come on I can’t just lay here. It’s been over an hour, the general anesthesia has worn off. I'm not even drowsy any more, assess me if you want to but I’m fine and I’m clear minded now give me my go bag,” Holly demanded, standing up out of bed to prove her point. Reid hesitated first a second before reaching behind him and grabbing her bag. 

“Your dad and Morgan are gonna kill me for letting you do this,” Spencer grumbled turning to face the wall as Holly started slipping out of the hospital gown. 

“Don’t worry, I’m a big girl. I make my own decisions,” Holly smiled a little, dressing quickly, running a bush through her hair before pulling it up and putting on her bullet proof vest and tossing Derek’s jacket into her pack. She grabbed the plastic hospital bag and pulled out her gun, strapping it to her belt. 

“Okay you can turn back around, let’s go,” Holly motioned to the door. 

“Holly, are you sure?” Reid asked worriedly. 

“Reid, have I ever steered you wrong before? Do you think I would put myself in the field if it would danger any of you or anyone else in this hospital?” Holly asked seriously, cocking her head at Reid. 

“No, I don’t think you would do that,” Reid nodded because she wouldn’t. 

“Alright then let’s go,” Holly nodded at him motioning to the door once again. 

-

“Holly? Reid I told you to go check on her,” Hotch snapped when Holly and Reid walked up. 

“Babygirl, what are you doing?” Derek asked, not that he wasn't glad she seemed okay but still. 

“I couldn’t just sit up there in bed. Now like I told Reid, do you really think I would put myself in the field if I thought it could get anyone hurt? You know the answer is no. Let me help,” Hotch and Derek shared a look. 

“Only if you’re absolutely sure,” Hotch looked at her, he was worried but how could he say anything when he was standing right here, not hurt much less than she was. 

“I’m more than sure, just catch me up,” Holly nodded. 

“The paramedic that brought us in is the unsub we have eyes on him and Garcia is blocking the signal on the cell towers so he can’t detonate the bomb with the cell phone but we think he’ll try to detonate it manually if he realizes the phone isn’t working,” Hotch explained pointing to the monitors when holly walked over. 

“Garcia?” Hotch called through his mic. 

_“I’ve got it, sir, I’m almost there,”_ Garcia answered. 

“Where’s Derek?” Holly asked when she turned around to look for him. 

“Maybe he went to go find the ambulance?” Reid asked looking around. 

“On his own?” Holly asked, quickly turning back to the cameras just in time to see Derek in one of the stairwells. 

“Come on let’s head down,” Hotch ordered, the rest of the team following his lead. 

“Derek?” Holly called over her mic. 

_“Yeah, baby?”_ Derek answered, moving slowly seeing the ambulance. 

“You sound stressed,” Holly said, and Derek would’ve laughed if he wasn’t indeed stressed. 

_“Do I?”_ He asked, walking along a raised up walkway. 

“Where are you?” Holly asked, adjusting the grip on her gun slightly. 

_“Not where I wanna be right now,”_ Derek didn’t care that the whole team could hear, they could interpret that however they wanted but he hoped she would know what he meant, because he would much rather be with her right now. 

_“Garcia, take this down for me, FDNY 108.”_

_“That’s an ambulance, are you, okay?”_ Garcia asked, the worry in voice clear and it made Holly’s stomach flip. 

_“Yeah, I’m fine. Just track it for me,”_ Derek answered simply, jumping from the platform, walking over to the ambulance. He let out a breath as he looked in the back, definitely a bomb, and very carefully opened the back. 

“Oh. _Garcia, how long can you keep jamming the cellphone reception?”_ Derek asked, kneeling carefully beside the bomb. 

_“I’m, a few minutes max, why?”_

_“‘Cause I’m gonna have to get this ambulance out of here,”_ Holly’s heart stopped at that, but no one else reacted and she had to force her feet to keep moving. 

“Derek,” Holly breathed into the mic but he didn’t respond. 

_“Or you could just evacuate the building like everyone else,”_ Garcia argued, her voice more panicked than worried. 

_“No, as soon as the airways are clear, this things going up,”_ Derek shook his head, he wouldn’t run away, this bomb was his responsibility now. 

_“Going up? Oh, my god, that’s in like 3 minutes, ‘cause that’s when the satellite moves position,”_ Garcia spoke again but Derek didn’t answer. He hopped out of the ambulance, closing the door carefully before running to the drivers door, popping the cover from under the hood. 

“Come on. Come on, start,” He whispered, trying to get the vehicle to start, letting out a breath when it finally revved up. 

_“Garcia, listen to me. I need you to find an area of town I can drive this thing to. And you tell everybody- you hear me, everybody- that I’m coming,”_ Derek called as he started to pull out of the basement. 

_“Alright, talk to me, Garcia,”_

_“Okay. Head North and floor it, I’ll tell you where to turn,”_ Penelope instructed trying to calm herself down so she could focus. 

Derek saw the man as he was passing, stopping to shoot at the ambulance before running after him. He saw the cellphone in the man’s hand and couldn’t help but be absolutely thankful for Garcia and her skills or he would’ve been dead then and there. 

_“What was that?”_ Penelope asked, the gunshots too muffled for her to know exactly what it was. 

_“It was nothing, it was nothing. Just talk to me,”_ Derek nearly shouted, his adrenaline pumping so much it was hard to even sit in the seat and drive. Holly’s heart was still pounding in her chest at the sounds of gunfire and tried to focus on Derek’s voice. 

“Baby? How you doing?” Holly asked, a few paces behind the rest of the team. 

_“I’m doin’ okay, baby. Garcia, how are we?”_ Derek called out to both Holly and Penelope. 

_“One minute, fifty seconds,”_ Garcia answered quickly. 

“Why does it always have to be you?” Holly asked, her voice wavering as she spoke. 

_“You know why, princess,”_ Was the only answer she got before they turned the corner and approached the bald man she remembered from early, pressing the button on the cell phone over and over again. 

_“Derek you don’t have much time, please be smart about this,”_ Penelope’s nervous voice echoed in Holly’s ears. 

_“Signal’s coming back, you have 30 second. Derek, drive time the opening and get the hell out,”_ Holly pressed her back against the wall when she saw her dad and Rossi, the four of them could handle the man. Her hand came up breaking the speaker against her ear, breathing heavy as she listened. 

_“There’s something I really need to tell you, Holly,”_ Derek spoke, not sure if it was natural how hard his heart was pounding and not caring that the whole team was about to hear his confession. 

“It can wait, Derek, just get the hell out of there,” Holly snapped but not in an angry way, her voice desperate and slightly begging. 

_“20 seconds,”_ Garcia breathed. 

_“No, no, no. I’m not quite there yet-“_

“Derek,” Holly warned, feeling the weight settling in her chest. 

_“Just listen to me. You know what you are, Holly?”_ Derek asked, that smooth Derek Morgan confidence laced with nervousness. 

“What? Derek?” Holly nearly stopped breathing when there was no sound at all. Her eyes met her dads across the room as the man went limp, a blood knife falling from his hands. 

“Derek?” She cried a little louder, a tear racing down her cheek as her breath caught in her throat. 

_“Holly,”_ A broken you breath left Holly and she sagged against the wall. 

_“I love you. You are the goddamn love of my life, that’s what you are,”_ Derek breathed, eyes falling shut as he tried to catch his breath. 

“Jesus Christ, I love you, too, Derek,” Holly hiccuped, pressing a hand to her chest. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Aaron gave her a small smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they left the hospital.


End file.
